I have many beautiful Christian friends, and believe me when I tell you that these girls are absolutely incredible. They’re smart, they’re talented, and they’re over all kind-hearted. Many of these young women strive to be as much of a Proverbs 31 woman as possible, and I fully support them in that. However, I don’t want be a Proverbs 31 woman.

If you’re not familiar with Proverbs 31, you can read it here. But it essentially describes a woman that is wonderful at all she does. She gets up early, cares for her family, cares for the poor, and does so many more incredible things. And I will admit that this does set a great example for those who want to be a Proverbs 31 woman. The biggest flaw I see in this chapter, however, is that this is not realistic. This is not a real woman.

Now I have struggled with this chapter quite a bit because my mind is telling me that I should follow this “checklist” of what it takes to be the best woman, the best mother, and the best wife possible. I know in my heart, though, that this is not a realistic goal. Because here’s the thing… God made each and every one of us unique; different from everyone else. He gave us different skills to utilize both how we choose and how we see or feel God wanting us to use them. So why, if we each have different skills, should I try to become somebody that is so far out of reach, it’s almost not even worth reaching for?

Another thing that I think we tend to ignore is that fact that this is not a checklist. This isn’t even written directly for women. It’s written for everybody. The last two verses say..

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

This is the only command that is give in the entire chapter. What’s interesting is that if we look at the women of the Bible, we can relate to many of them, there’s no denying that. And while each are different in their own way, the one thing that they do have in common is that each of them put their trust in God and did what He wanted them to do without changing who they are. And that’s what I want to be. I don’t want to strive to be this perfect woman who is too good to even imagine. I want to do all that I do for the glory of God without trying to change who God made me to be.